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Naaman Zhou (now) and Amy Remeikis (earlier)

More 'prompt' response could have prevented Victorian aged care deaths, says Brendan Murphy – as it happened

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Summary

With that we’ll be closing the blog for today. Thanks for reading along and we’ll be back tomorrow.

Here’s what happened today:

Thanks for reading and stay safe.

Updated

The Australian managers of TikTok have denied that its content is changed to satisfy the Chinese government.

TikTok Australia’s general manager, Lee Hunter, appeared before a Senate inquiry today, where he was asked about the app’s relationship to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

The Labor senator Jenny McAllister quoted ByteDance’s founder, Zhang Yiming, who in 2018 apologised to authorities over content shared in China through the company’s other apps, AAP reports.

“Our product took the wrong path, and content appeared that was incommensurate with socialist core values,” he wrote at the time.

Hunter said TikTok did not operate in China, arguing Zhang’s comments related to products that do.

McAllister pointed to job advertisements for China-based positions that worked on ByteDance’s overseas products, including TikTok. “Are you seriously saying none of your content decisions are being made in the PRC [People’s Republic of China]?” she said.

Hunter said TikTok moderators were based in 20 countries but none in China.

“It’s important to note that we don’t moderate or remove content based on the political sensitivities of China,” he said.

The Greens senator Nick McKim said ByteDance collaborated with the Chinese Communist party in Xinjiang province, where Uighur Muslims faced torture and imprisonment.

Hunter encouraged McKim to search “Uighur” on TikTok to see a wide variety of content on the subject.

“TikTok is not China,” he said. “We are an app. We are not based in China. We do not moderate or remove content at the request of the Chinese government.”

TikTok Australia’s public policy director, Brett Thomas, said: “We would never give Australian user data to the Chinese. We never have and we never would.”

He outlined the mutual legal assistance treaty, an international agreement to share evidence about criminal investigations with the US.

Hunter also addressed the sharing of a graphic video showing a man taking his own life.

He didn’t want to publicly go into too much detail on how it spread across the platform, but promised to tell senators more in private.

Updated

WA launches quarantine app with facial recognition

The Western Australian government has also launched a new app that it says can be used to help police conduct self-quarantine checks on travellers.

The premier, Mark McGowan, earlier today cited the app as a reason the state could slightly ease its border restrictions on New South Wales and Victorian residents.

The app, called G2G Now, uses location data and facial recognition technology to conduct “virtual check-ups” on people, according to the state’s police commissioner, Chris Dawson.

“This new app will deliver greater certainty and confidence in self-quarantining,” McGowan said. “As a result of this technology, we have confidence in taking the next steps to ease some of our restrictions.”

The app is voluntary, but McGowan said all visitors to WA would be “strongly encouraged” to download it.

“The incentive to download the app is you’ll not need to have police physically checking in on you as regularly,” he said.

Updated

The Nationals senator Matt Canavan has just ruled out moving to the lower house by running for the Queensland seat of Groom.

The former MP for Groom John McVeigh retired from politics earlier this month, triggering a byelection in the safe LNP seat.

Canavan just told the ABC he was asked to run but declined.

McVeigh, who as a Queensland MP was a member of the combined LNP but sat in the Liberal party room, had won the seat with a primary vote of 53% at the last election. Canavan sits in the Nationals party room.

He told the ABC’s Jane Norman he had “ruled that out”.

“I was asked. I used to live in Toowoomba, which the seat of Groom surrounds, so I was asked. Look, I’m very happy in central Queensland.”

Norman: “What about if there was an intervention? If you were drafted?”

Canavan: “Well, no, I made a decision to stay here because, look, a lot of it’s about family obviously. I’ve got five young children ... I didn’t really, I didn’t want to leave. So it was nice to be asked but I’m staying put and I’ve got a lot more to do here in this region.”

Updated

The deputy Labor leader, Richard Marles, is now on the ABC, and has been asked whether he heard the comments of his colleague Joel Fitzgibbon – who threatened to quit the shadow ministry over the party’s renewables targets.

Fitzgibbon made the comments in an interview with Guardian Australia’s Katharine Murphy on our Australian Politics Live podcast.

Marles says Labor is still working on its policy.

“If you listen to the podcast from the Guardian fully, [Fitzgibbon] said this is a matter to be sorted out in shadow cabinet and he expected to abide by the outcome of that,” Marles says.

“There is a way to go in relation to all of these issues. We’ll work through them in a methodical way.”

He is also asked about the party’s support for gas in response to the government’s proposed “gas-led recovery”.

Marles says Labor supports both gas and renewables:

We are absolutely supportive of the Australian gas industry. No ifs, no buts. Australia is the world’s largest gas exporter. We are, of course, supportive of that. Gas is a critical component of manufacturing in Australia.

There’s no question about us being supportive of the role of gas and supportive of the gas industry. We are also very much supportive of trying to build a renewable energy sector in this country and seeing that as an important pathway forward in terms of getting to net-zero emissions by 2050, but also in terms of being a generator of jobs. Both of those things sit together and ultimately we are supportive of both.

Updated

On the ABC, the national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, Paddy Crumlin, has refuted claims from Patrick Terminals that there are 90,000 containers that can’t come into port due to an ongoing industrial dispute.

Crumlin said the company was being Trumpian in its statements, and all the union had done was one four-hour stoppage.

“There’s one ship or two ships sitting off Botany, and there is always two ships sitting off Botany,” he said. “The only reason there are a few bottlenecks off Botany is the company, through their tremendous maintenance capability, cut through an electrical cable and shut the joint down for 48 hours. They have a software system out there that doesn’t work.”

Asked by host Jane Norman about the 90,000 container claim, he said it was “nonsense”.

“Absolutely fake news,” Crumlin said. “You know, a la Donald Trump. Bullshit.”

Updated

In climate news, the Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed that La Niña has formed and will remain until the end of the year.

La Niña increases the chance of floods and above average rainfall across Australia during spring.

The bureau said that half of its models predict “a strong [La Niña] event”, while three of eight predict a moderate event.

“Overall, models do not currently anticipate this event will be as strong as the La Niña of 2010–12, which was one of the four strongest La Niñas on record,” the bureau said.

Updated

McGowan also announced that there have been no new cases of Covid-19 overnight, after eight cases were reported yesterday among the crew of the Patricia Oldendorff cargo ship off Port Hedland.

The loading dock at Port Hedland.
The loading dock at Port Hedland. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters

He also said that the change to allow non-hotel quarantine would ease pressure on the state’s hotel quarantine system.

The premier said that he would remain “cautious” and the hard border would remain in place for now.

Like everything, we will continue to monitor the situation over east. But until we have confidence that community spread is under control, the border will stay in place.

Updated

WA to ease some border restrictions for NSW and Victoria

The WA premier, Mark McGowan, has just announced that the state will lift its hard border restrictions, allowing some residents of NSW and Victoria into the state – as long as they go through quarantine.

From Monday 5 October, residents of NSW will be able to enter WA under the same restrictions as other states.

Premier of Western Australia Mark McGowan.
The Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

Currently, people can only enter WA if they are exempt travellers – but people who have been in Victoria and NSW in the past 14 days cannot be exempted.

McGowan said that this change was recommended by the chief health officer, after the low numbers in NSW and the declining numbers in Victoria.

Victorians who enter WA from 5 October will “no longer need to quarantine in a hotel facility as long as they have an appropriate premise to quarantine in safely”, McGowan said.

The premier said this was a “significant but reasonable change”.

Updated

Hi all, it’s Naaman Zhou here. Thanks to Amy Remeikis for running the blog earlier today.

A story from this morning: the prime minister, Scott Morrison, has rebuked his deputy PM, Michael McCormack, after the latter said yesterday that paying $30m for land worth $3m would in future be seen as a “bargain”.

Updated

There is a national Covid update at 3.30pm, which Naaman Zhou is going to take you through.

Thank you again for joining me today. I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Please, until then – take care of you. Ax

Updated

It continues:

In Victoria at the current time:

  • 4,273 cases may indicate community transmission – a decrease of one since yesterday
  • 326 cases are currently active in Victoria
  • 46 cases of coronavirus are in hospital, including five in intensive care
  • 18,978 people have recovered from the virus
  • A total of 2,677,022 test results have been received, which is an increase of 8,226 since yesterday

Of the 326 current active cases in Victoria:

  • 320 are in metropolitan Melbourne under the second step of our roadmap
  • Six are in regional local government areas under the third step of our roadmap
  • 0 are interstate residents
  • 0 are either unknown or subject to further investigation
  • Colac Otway has one active case and greater Geelong, greater Bendigo and Ballarat have no active cases.
People are seen enjoying the sun along the Yarra river in Melbourne.
People are seen enjoying the sun along the Yarra river in Melbourne. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Of the total cases:

  • 18,766 cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 1,192 are from regional Victoria
  • Total cases include 9,613 men and 10,530 women
  • Total number of healthcare workers: 3,540, active cases: 53
  • There are 158 active cases relating to aged care facilities

Active aged care outbreaks with the highest active case numbers are as follows:

  • Estia Keilor: 34 (45 total)
  • Opal Hobsons Bay Altona North: 23 (total cases: 44)
  • Embracia Moonee Valley Aged Care: 22 (total cases: 80)
  • Baptcare Wyndham Lodge Community Werribee: 14 (total cases: 260)
  • Edenvale Manor Aged Care Facility Keilor East: 13 (total cases: 22)
  • Doutta Galla Aged Services Woornack: 8 (total cases: 60 )
  • Mercy Place Parkville aged care: 7 (total cases: 104)
  • Twin Parks Aged Care Reservoir: 4 (total cases: 127)
  • Churches of Christ Care Arcadia Aged Care Essendon: 4 (total cases: 22)
  • Epping Gardens Aged Care: 3 (total cases: 220)

In Victoria there are currently two active cases in residential disability accommodation:

  • Total resident cases: 0; total staff cases: 2
  • Active cases in NDIS homes: 2 (0 residents)
  • Active cases in “transfer” homes (state regulated/funded): 0
  • Active cases in state government delivered and funded homes: 0
A person is seen wearing a mask on a tram on in Melbourne.
A person is seen wearing a mask on a tram on in Melbourne. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Non-aged care outbreaks with the highest number of active cases include:

  • 9 active cases are currently linked to the Casey community outbreak (total cases: 44)
  • 7 active cases are currently linked to Footscray hospital (total cases: 20)
  • 6 active cases are currently linked to Alfred hospital (total cases: 11)
  • 5 active cases are currently linked to the Springvale shared accommodation outbreak (total cases: 5)

Updated

The official Victoria Health update is out:

Victoria has recorded 10 new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, with the total number of cases now at 20,158.

The overall total has increased by nine due to one case being reclassified.

Three of today’s 10 new cases have been linked to known outbreaks or complex cases. One is linked to aged care (Embracia Moonee Valley) and two are linked to health services (Western Health and Monash Health). The other seven cases remain under investigation.

Of today’s 10 new cases, there are two cases in Casey, Monash and Moreland, and single cases in Hobsons Bay, Knox, Moonee Valley and Wyndham.

People are seen exercising along the Tan track in Melbourne.
People are seen exercising along the Tan track in Melbourne. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

There have been seven new deaths from Covid-19 reported since yesterday. One man in his 60s, one man in his 70s, one woman in her 80s, two men in 80s, one woman in her 90s and one man in his 90s. Three deaths occurred prior to yesterday.

Six of today’s seven deaths are linked to a known aged care facility outbreak. To date, 794 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.

The average number of cases diagnosed in the last 14 days for metropolitan Melbourne is 18.2 and regional Victoria is 0.6. The rolling daily average case number is calculated by averaging out the number of new cases over the past 14 days.

The total number of cases from an unknown source in the last 14 days is 27 for metropolitan Melbourne and zero for regional Victoria. The 14-day period for the source of acquisition data ends 48 hours earlier than the 14-day period used to calculate the new case average due to the time required to fully investigate a case and assign its mode of acquisition.

Updated

And the Victorian cabinet has been reshuffled following Jenny Mikakos’ resignation:

Updated

Victoria Health has updated its “be on the lookout for symptoms if you were here” list:

Updated

Leader of the free world.

And it gets worse:

Updated

Greens senator Larissa Waters has responded to the minister for families and social services, Anne Ruston’s, re-announcement of domestic violence funding:

This funding is a fraction of the money needed to ensure women and children fleeing family violence have somewhere to go and get the support services they need.

Announcing 700 new crisis places which the government contends will house 6,000 women and children nationally, when its own data shows more than almost 10,000 survivors were already turned away from crisis accommodation pre-Covid, means the government is condemning a third of women and children to a choice between violence or homelessness.

Increased demand throughout Covid has meant Queensland Women’s Legal Service hasn’t been able to answer 50% of its incoming calls. Much of the ‘emergency’ funding announced by the government to address increased demand on family and domestic violence services in March is yet to reach the bank accounts of frontline services.

Funding for crisis accommodation and support services for victim-survivors has never been more critical. Yet services have been waiting months for the support promised by this government, and made clear that much more is needed.

The Greens support the sector’s calls for a significant increase in funding to fix the domestic and family violence crisis. Next week’s budget must fund all frontline services needed to keep all victim-survivors of violence safe, and effective primary prevention.

Updated

10,000 people died while waiting for home care

Also in the Covid hearing, the committee has just heard that for the 2019-20 year, 10,563 people passed away while on the home care waiting list.

A little earlier today, Scott Morrison also acknowledged the grim Covid milestone the world has passed – one million deaths:

Today also we pass a milestone that no one would want to have ever seen passed and that is a million lives lost to Covid-19 around the world. And it is a reminder that we are living in the midst of a global pandemic. This is a pandemic that has been visited upon Australia from outside our shores and is one that has impacted on us greatly. In Australia, 882 lives have been lost to Covid-19, 670 of those in aged care. This is a heavy blow when it comes to the health impacts of the pandemic and it has been a daily challenge to ensure that we remain, as best as we can, ahead of the challenges of this pandemic, and in Australia we have fared better than almost any other country in the world.

Prime minister Scott Morrison during a press conference in Canberra, 29 September 2020.
Prime minister Scott Morrison during a press conference in Canberra, 29 September 2020. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/EPA

That is particularly the case when you combine the challenge we have with the Covid recession that has stemmed from the pandemic and our task has always been to manage both the health impacts of the pandemic and the economic impacts of the pandemic.

And Australia sits amongst a handful of countries that have been able to limit the economic blow as well as limiting the health blow to our country and that is a great credit to all Australians in what they’ve been able to achieve and the way that they’ve demonstrated resilience and, in particular, the people of Victoria and especially the people of Melbourne, who have most significantly undergone the heavy burden of those restrictions in recent months and together they have flattened that curve for Australia once again.

I said Australia will not win until Victoria wins and I believe Victoria is now beginning to win and that’s good news for all Australians and we thank Victorians for their great sacrifice over these many months to ensure that Australia can move forward together.

Updated

Here is what Anthony Albanese had to say about today’s announcement by the federal government:

I wanted, today, to respond to the latest re-announcement. The latest triumph of marketing and spin over substance from Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg.

Today’s re-announcement is about the so-called ‘digital strategy’.

But once again, when you look at the detail, it’s more about announcement than delivery. Scott Morrison is always there for the photo op, never there for the follow-up.

The Digital Transformation Agency was set up by Malcolm Turnbull many years ago. The only thing we’ve heard of it in recent times is the extraordinary amount of money that they spent on stationery, which is ironic given that it is supposed to be about digital transformation.

Indeed, more than half of the money that has been re-announced today was actually announced in 2017 and in a funding envelope that was revealed last year to create a digital identification number.

Federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese.
Federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Labor committed to a director identification number in May 2017.

Today’s announcement follows the extraordinary humiliation of the backflip just a week ago by Paul Fletcher, when the government discovered that indeed, fibre, 21st century technology, was better than copper when it came to the National Broadband Network.

This, in spite of the fact that they trashed the model that was established under the Rudd Labor government to roll out fibre-to-the-premises for 93% of Australian households and businesses. During the pandemic we have learned again how necessary 21st century communications technology is. Not just to downloading but to communicating, to uploading, which was always the key for business. How important it is to drive jobs in regional Australia.

This government doesn’t get new technology. It doesn’t get helping to not just imagine the future but creating the future in a way that creates jobs and creates economic activity. And if today’s announcement or re-announcement is the best job they can do, then I think Australians are entitled to have confirmed in their mind that this indeed is a government that just does re-announcements, that concentrates on marketing and spin and doesn’t deliver when it comes to what is what is necessary.

Updated

A more 'prompt' public health response could have prevented aged care deaths - Brendan Murphy

Over at the Senate Covid inquiry, Brendan Murphy has been asked if any of the aged care deaths were avoidable.

His answer is below:

Of course, you can always look at whether a more rapid public health response to these early outbreaks – if you recall, earlier on in the outbreaks in New South Wales and in Victoria there was a very rapid response and containment, but even then, with those rapid responses in NSW, two facilities had widespread infection.

But I think if the public health response had been more prompt, we might have avoided some of the scale of the outbreaks in Victoria, and obviously we’re looking at, for example, if we had stood up the Victorian aged care response centre, early on, if we had been aware, if we’d had prior warning the public health response may have been compromised, that’s something that might have prevented some of the spread amongst facilities by responding more quickly.

Department of health secretary Dr Brendan Murphy at the Senate Inquiry into Covid-19 Tuesday, 29 September 2020.
Department of health secretary Dr Brendan Murphy at the Senate Inquiry into Covid-19 Tuesday, 29 September 2020. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

And obviously, you know, one of the lessons that we have learned, out of the Victorian outbreak is that infection prevention control training which was done widely across the sector needs to be regularly reinforced and that’s certainly something that the Victorian aged care response centre has been pursuing in facilities in Victoria.

So, so it’s not possible to say what proportion could have been prevented as we’ve said on many occasions, once you have widespread community outbreaks, aged care outbreaks and unfortunately, deaths, particularly for people who are very frail and close to end of life are inevitable, but largely with the benefit of hindsight and in responding with a response centre, as I said a little bit earlier, we may have been able to prevent some of some of the spread.

I think we would always look at every, every episode that happens and see what else we could learn.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian, the New South Wales premier, is not celebrating her state’s fourth day of having no locally acquired cases.

As AAP reports, she is concerned people will get complacent:

Last time we were complacent the Victorian situation erupted and caused this enormous amount of stress.

It’s very early days. The fact that we’ve had a few days now of zero community transmission is positive, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves.

A further relaxation of restrictions is on the table, as soon it is safe to do so, she said.

We’re always looking to see what we can do in NSW, but we need to do it at the right pace.

Updated

Labor’s social media campaign has decided on a new format in recent days:

Updated

The Ernies – the awards given out for the most sexist and maladroit remarks – will be held virtually this year. The awards will be handed out on 1 October.

From founder and organiser Dr Meredith Burgmann’s statement:

Some of the frontrunners for 2020 are old favourites Mark Latham, Jeff Kennett and Craig Kelly, joined by newcomers Adem Somyurek and Israel Folau.

It is remarkable that what began as a joke 28 years ago has become an institution. The winner of the Gold Ernie is often a surprise and in 28 years I have never managed to predict the winner.

You can find the finalists here. Or just add your predictions to the comment thread.

Updated

Good god. This number:

Updated

If you want to follow along with the Covid committee’s hearings on the federal aged care response, you can find the link here.

Updated

Q: The prime minister has ... [flagged] a possible return to home isolation rather than hotel quarantine. Do you believe that this can provide enough protection for returning travellers?

Anthony Albanese:

What we should be doing is taking the advice of the medical experts and the chief health officers, rather than making political decisions.

Q: And in terms of public servants returning to the office to encourage more CBD spending, do you support public servants going back to work in the office?

Albanese:

Well, I’m a public servant, I’m in an office right now. Thank you very much.

Updated

Q: Just very briefly – have you picked up the phone to [speak to Patrick’s]?

Anthony Albanese:

No, I have not. And it’s not my job, as the opposition leader. I’m not part of the government. And I suggest to the government that what they should be doing is trying to bring the parties together.

Updated

Q: As the leader of the Australian Labor party, do you support the MUA and their right to engage in what is protected industrial action?

Anthony Albanese:

Of course, we have an industrial relations system that provides for action. This government has been in place now in its third term.

This is the government’s industrial relations system, but there should be, also, as well as formal processes, the commonwealth should be playing a role in trying to bring the parties together.

Now, we have a circumstance whereby, for example, earlier this year, we had an industrial relations minister say that he had never spoken to the secretary of the ACTU. I find that extraordinary.

They’d never picked up the phone, had had no contact whatsoever.

What we’ve seen from the government is a change in that rhetoric, and the government engaging with the trade union movement to try to achieve common outcome unless the interests of the national interest during the pandemic. I think that spirit should be taken to industrial relations.

It’s the position that I put for a long period of time, that trade unions and employers have a common interest.

They have an interest in successful businesses, but, of course, successful businesses are ones as well that have a cooperative workforce; that have a history of not necessarily engaging in cooperative dialogue with the trade union movement.

Updated

Anthony Albanese holds a press conference

The Labor leader’s first question is on the Patrick Terminals dispute:

I think that the unions and the employers should have a cooperative relationship. There should be dialogue in the interests of both parties coming together, rather than conflict, and that the commonwealth should be playing a role in that rather than engaging in rhetoric for political purposes.

... If I was prime minister in this position, I would be trying to bring the parties together.

... I would be trying to bring the parties together in a cooperative way.

... I can’t answer the same question in anything other than the same answer.

Updated

Queensland reports no new Covid cases

There are no new Covid cases in Queensland.

Updated

The Senate Covid committee is also holding hearings today – they start at 1pm.

It is about the aged care response today.

Updated

Anthony Albanese will hold his press conference at 12.45 today.

Updated

NSW reports two new Covid cases in returned travellers but no community transmissions

NSW Health has reported no new community transmissions for the fourth day in a row:

Two new cases of Covid-19 in returned travellers were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 4,031.

There were 6,381 tests reported in the 24-hour reporting period, compared with 6,353 in the previous 24 hours.

NSW Health thanks the community for all they have done towards reducing Covid-19 numbers and continues to ask people to remain vigilant and come forward for testing immediately if symptoms like a runny nose, scratchy throat, cough or fever appear.

This is particularly important with school holidays having started and increased movement of people around the state.

Locations linked to known cases, advice on testing and isolation, and areas identified for increased testing can be found here.

NSW Health is treating 55 Covid-19 cases, including three in intensive care, none of whom are being ventilated. Eighty-four per cent of cases being treated by NSW Health are in non-acute, out-of-hospital care.

Updated

Time to get back to the office, Scott Morrison says

Q: The public service has been told to go back to work, physically, in office buildings – should corporate Australia follow suit?

Scott Morrison:

On the issue of the public service, of course I support that measure, and it is important whether it’s here in the ACT, or in Sydney or, or in Brisbane or Perth or anywhere else, where the health advice enables it – obviously Victoria is still in a different position right now.

For the public service to be back in their offices buying their lunch at the local cafe and doing all of those things will support, particularly those CBD economies, and it’s a matter that I’ll continue to pursue.

I think very positively with the other state, with the state premiers and state ministers who I know will also I’m sure be wanting to see their own CBDs revitalised.

And when I say CBD I’m not talking about the Sydney CBD in New South Wales, I’m talking about Parramatta.

I’m talking about Liverpool, I’m talking about Sutherland, I’m talking about all of these places and Hurstville there, and the many other similar suburban CBDs that are around the country – Box Hill and the like.

So it’s important that I think we get people back into their offices in a safe way. I think people have learned an enormous amount over the last six months, about how to do that in a Covid-safe way, and it’s time to get our CBDs humming again.

And I think the commonwealth public service taking the lead in that regard is a good thing, and will seek the encouragement of other state public services. I know the NSW premier and treasurer have made similar comments in relation to business, I would encourage them to do the same thing.

For example, if you had head offices in Melbourne, that doesn’t mean that your office in Perth should be operating on the same Covid site plan to the one in Melbourne.

And I know that’s a point that the Western Australian premier has made on a number of occasions.

We also have large multinational companies that are running their Covid-safe arrangements based on what’s happening in Paris or New York or, or in London, and those rules are probably very appropriate in all of those places, but they don’t make much sense in Adelaide.

So I think it is important that we always have customised homegrown Covid-safe plans here in Australia targeted to the locality, because that is the best way to get our economy opening up again, because an economy opening up again safely means jobs, it means livelihoods, it means incomes and it means that we will recover and we will grow.

Updated

Q: Can I just ask in your deliberations on the on the on the budget coming out – did you have a concern that some extra boost of aggregate demand might actually not work, that it might take a bit more effort to flow into the economy?

Scott Morrison:

You might want to unpack that last bit I mean of course we’re only going to consider things that we think is going to work.

Q: Well, spending, it might actually not get your bang for buck because people might have to save it or indeed there might not be able to spend it because of businesses being restricted.

Morrison:

Obviously with every measure we’ve undertaken, particularly since the Covid crisis here, it has always been one of our assessments, temporary targeted proportionate targeted means it’s going to go somewhere where it works, and has the best effect that has been one of our principles the entire time.

When we went into this crisis we thought it was really important to sit out what the principles would b,e and indeed I did that at the AFR summit.

Back in March, where we were very clear about what the rules were for framing the economic measures that we would we would introduce and we’ve held fast to all of those, and we will continue to hold fast to all of those.

And so I think that probably answer your question, of course, of course, we would consider the effectiveness.

That is the point with every single measure and aggregate demand measures are important in this recovery phase, very important in this recovery phase as the tide is going out on so much other investment or activity, then it is an essential response in these unprecedented times that we would have a budget like the one you’re going to see next week.

How do we respond and call back from that position in their budget by growing our economy.

That’s how you do it.

You don’t do it by putting up taxes. you don’t do it by risking essential services that Australians rely on you do it by growing your economy.

And that’s why today’s announcement, along with the so many others we’ve made, whether it’s on insolvency reform or, or credit reform, or whether it has been on the job trying to fund or affordable, reliable energy with lower emissions all of this is designed to grow your economy.

Now when you grow your economy, you can build your revenues, again, and that’s how Australia comes back from the budget that we will have to announce next week, and the measures that we’re putting in place a design to achieve those ends I mean today, we’ve announced reforms that are effectively upgrading the circuit board of our economy with this digital plan.

That’s what it’s about today, mining, the, the arteries of your of our economy to burn on another analogy to be able to be cleared and able to ensure a much more healthy economy for Australians

Updated

Q: The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission published data showing it had barely got to a quarter of aged care homes in April and Unifor non-site visits – so done remotely. How can Australians have confidence that the regulator is effectively being toothless throughout the pandemic?

Will the government consider beefing up its powers, not just with resources, but empowering it to go into aged care homes more often and do more site examinations? And the aged care royal commission is due to hand its Covid report to you tomorrow, will you can commit to making that public as soon as possible?

Scott Morrison:

Well, we’ll wait for the royal commission to come down. It’s a royal commission. It will make its report.

It will make its report.

We’ve invested around $1.5bn in boosting our support for aged care. In aged care it’s been the area where people have been most vulnerable.

That’s the case around the world.

It’s not surprising that what you’ve seen is as the case numbers steadily increased in Victoria with the second wave that has flowed because of the community outbreak, which was obvious to all, those numbers also rose in aged care.

Now, as the number of cases in the community have fallen in Victoria, so have the numbers of cases in Victorian aged care.

There has always been a direct link between what has been happening in the community with what has been happening in aged care facilities and predominantly, the aged care facilities within Melbourne will are not publicly run facilities.

They’re privately run, or not-for-profit-run facilities.

So obviously, where the community outbreak has been greatest, that’s where it will affect those centres and that’s why we’ve seen predominantly what we have seen.

There will be many lessons to be taken out of what has occurred during the Covid period.

Many lessons have already been taken in how we would respond in other states and territories and they’ve been discussed candidly at national cabinet and the Aged Care Response Centre, which continues to operate successfully in Victoria as a crisis response.

This has been formalised to a level that would enable it to be stood up very quickly in other states and territories.

I knows there’s been a call that it should already be stood up in other states and territories.

Those states and territories are adamant that they do not want such a centre stood up in other states and territories, that this needs to be done in partnership. They believe the arrangements that exist in other states and territories are satisfactory for the current threat and risk that presents but, should that change, then [it will be available].

Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison arrive for this morning’s budget press conference
Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison arrive for this morning’s budget press conference. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Josh Frydenberg then takes that question:

As the treasurer, I’m very focused on businesses reopening and people getting back to work.

But as a Victorian parent, I’m also very focused on my children and other people’s children getting back to school. I note that that timetable has been accelerated for some of the year levels but I cannot see why all students can’t get back to school in Victoria now.

Not just for their educational development – because so many of those students have lost nearly a year of study, not just for their educational development in the classroom, but for their wellbeing.

I’ve read letters from well-regarded doctors and GPs, open letters to the premier of Victoria, and they speak of the mental health state of young people in Victoria as a result of the lockdown.

And the number of cases they are seeing through their doors skyrocketing, providing antidepressants to kids as young as 12 and 13 as a result of this lockdown. So I say to the premier follow the medical advice but please get Victorian children back to school at all levels.

Updated

Q: Prime minister, 11 days ago, you flagged that you wanted to see a national network of contact tracing systems right across the country. How long do you expect that to take to be set up? And can I ask both you of you, given what you said in your statement on Sunday and where Victoria’s cases are at now, with an average of eight a day over seven days, do you have faith in Victoria’s contact tracing system so that restrictions could be eased now or in the next couple of weeks?

Scott Morrison:

Well, a couple of points. Dr Finkel is leading that taskforce that I announced after the last meeting of national cabinet – that’s already under way.

He’s in Canberra now and leading a team drawing from a range of different disciplines and it’s already started the work of pulling together that digital overlay to connect the contact tracing systems between the states and territories.

One of the reasons that’s so important is because it enables your contact tracing resources in other states and territories to swarm on to particular problems. That was one of the challenges we had when Victoria hit their second wave. There were plenty willing and able to assist the systems, and the system in Victoria at the time when it first hit was different from what it is now.

In large part, there were paper-based systems in Victoria at that time. That has radically transformed since that time and I would say - and I commend the Premier on this - that it is now going beyond that with the mod night ace they’re applying to bring the system up to what I would call the New South Wales gold standard and now they’re looking at further improvements beyond that system.

They’ve come a long way in a very short period of time and the key to being able to open up your economy – as New South Wales has demonstrated, day after day, week after week, month after month, has been about the capacity of your contact tracing system and your testing regime.

Those combined with outbreak management, maintaining Covid-safe behaviours, that’s how you keep your economy open. That’s how you live with the virus, not have the virus tell you how to live.

It’s very important that that work continue and build. I made the point on the weekend with the treasurer and the minister for health that Victoria now is at a similar state when it comes to the number of cases that New South Wales has been at over recent months and New South Wales has a very different level of restrictions. They are matters at the end of the day that are for the decision of the Victorian government and the Victorian government and the premier does take responsibility for the decisions they make about restrictions and the thank path that they’re on.

Obviously as a federal government we have sought to work with them to highlight areas where we think we could move more quickly but we do that behind the scenes working in good faith with the Victorian government. Do not take an absence of commentary from this platform as an absence of engagement between officials and otherwise. That’s a good thing. That’s how it should work. I don’t intend to have those discussions in a public setting.

We want to support the Victorian government to move forward as safely and quickly as they possibly can. Ultimately, the calls that are made, I respect are made by the Victorian premier and the Victorian government and, of course, the implications of that also rest with that government.

Updated

Q: You’ve made two observations today – jobs are coming back in the economy in some places but people are still doing it – a lot of those families doing it tough are on the edge and with jobkeeper and jobseeker now tapering off. A few hundred dollars could be the difference between meeting the mortgage or a rent repayment and literally living rough. There’s been speculation about maybe a supplement for pensioners in this budget coming up. Will you give something for those families who are on the edge of being thrown out of their homes, looking at a bleak Christmas, in this budget, in some form of payment or support?

Scott Morrison:

The budget will be next week so I won’t make further announcements about what we’re putting in the budget for next week and the treasurer will do that at that time.

Let me give you a scenario here – someone who was receiving jobkeeper at a rate of $1,200 per fortnight may also be eligible for a part payment for jobseeker of $276 per fortnight, which includes the coronavirus supplement bringing their total taxpayer-funded income back to $1,476 per fortnight.

My point is that jobkeeper and jobseeker work together to provide essential income supports and it was the same numbers we did when we looked at less than two hours and more than 20 hours.

People working less than 70 hours, on $750 – which I remind people is paid to the business and the business then pays the employee, know now, that business is not restricted to paying that employee $1,200.

What we are seeing when I talked about 760,000 jobs coming back in, that’s not just the more than 400,000 that have come back in terms of measured employment, that is about 300,000 or thereabouts of jobs that were reduced to zero hours.

Now, those jobkeeper recipients are now getting more hours so their actual incomes will be supplemented by their employer, not just the taxpayer. That’s a good change. Jobkeeper and jobseeker are transitioning but equally there are more jobs coming pack into the economy and more hours coming back into the economy so people’s incomes, increasingly, will be supported by their jobs, not just by the taxpayer, particularly when it comes to jobkeeper as a payment and jobseeker is there to support and buttress what is otherwise happening with their income supports and so the two will work together and you will see people being able to get further income support where they’re in the sorts of situations that you’re talking about.

Updated

Q: Back on the waterfront, if Patrick were to form a rival workforce, would you support such a move?

Scott Morrison:

I’m not getting into hypotheticals about how this will be resolved. I’ve made the point clearly and I’m imploring that there be a lawful resolution to this situation, because I can not have Australians who need what’s on those ships being held on those ships, 40 of them out there.

You can go down to Port Botany or Kurnell and you can see them lining up and every single one of them lining up is being held back from Australians getting what they need in the middle of a recession. So whatever differences people have on the waterfront about this, I would ask them to put it aside, think of the national centre and get back to work.

Q: You talked about the need to build and you talked previously about the importance of infrastructure into the future. Do you agree with the Western Sydney airport, with your deputy prime minister, that $30m was a bargain for that piece of land?

Scott Morrison:

Look, I agree with the auditor’s report. And these events are not things I’m happy about. There are clear lessons that needed to be learned within the department and they will be.

And there is a review going on presently within the department and I understand why Australians would feel disappointed in that. I’m also disappointed in it and I don’t think it’s something that I would ever like to see repeated and I know the minister at the time feels equally disappointed about that.

I agree with the deputy prime minister that the Western Sydney airport is going to be if not the biggest game changer we’ve seen in infrastructure in the Sydney basin in a very, very, very long time.

I agree wholeheartedly with him on that. It’s an absolutes jobs machine, the western Sydney Lady Nancy Bird Walton international airport and the logistics hub and technology hub that will continue to be built around that.

This is a megalithic project for western Sydney, Sydney more broadly and the country.

The deputy prime minister and I are on the same page when it comes to that. When it comes to the processes that led to that decision, I’m not happy about it. The officials understand that. This happened some years ago, as you’d appreciate. Now that it’s come to light and has been brought to our attention, we’ll ensure it won’t happen again.

Updated

Q: In 1949 the Labor prime minister Ben Chifley sent troops into the coalmines to break a strike. Given Australia is in a national emergency, would you consider session similar on the docks?

Scott Morrison:

I’m not going to pre-empt any of those sorts of things. We’re still at a stage where I think that sort of thing would hopefully be unnecessary and that it would never come to something like that. My simple message today is to get it sorted and stop the extortion and to think of your fellow Australians and get back to work.

Q:

On the waterfront, the MUA said they offered to get [medical supplies] off the ships but were rebuffed by Patrick’s. What more could they have done? And why should they give up the right to take industrial action when politicians are still getting pay rises?

Morrison:

Well, they’re not.

Q: Politicians are getting pay rises.

Morrison:

Well, they’re not.

Q: Why shouldn’t they be able to take lawful action, though?

Morrison:

We’re in the middle of a Covid recession and supplies on ships need to come ashore. It’s extortion and I won’t put up with it.

Updated

'We can't have the economy held back by keeping support measures in place too long,' PM says

Q: Freezes on childcare fees were lifted in every state but Victoria yesterday. Given what we know about how families are doing it tough, what’s your message to centres? And is it correct that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is looking at policy options for childcare?

Scott Morrison:

Well, a couple of points. For everywhere other than Victoria, the situation is different – and the treasurer may want to comment on this particularly – what we are seeing around the country is Australia’s economy recover.

Now, there’s still a long way to go but when you look at the most recent job numbers that we’ve seen nationally and on the measured employment alone, more than 400,000 jobs have come back, more than 400,000.

Now, it was even more than that around the country when you take out the impact in Victoria, which saw the number of jobs go down.

So we are seeing all the other states and territories get themselves back into a much stronger position.

We always said that our supports would be temporary, targeted and proportionate and we can’t stay stuck in the same gear when it comes to our response to the Covid-19 recession.

We’ve got to keep moving forward.

We’ve got to keep leaning into the next step to see our economy strengthen and not have it held back by keeping support measures in place for too long.

What we want to see is the economies continue to restore and as the economies continue to restore, then households’ budgets will be further strengthened, the job prospects will be further strengthened.

Businesses and incomes will be further strengthened and that will enable Australians all around the country to get back to as close to a Covid-normal position as is possible.

Where there have been measures in the past there comes a time for them to move on.

Where there are particularly difficult situations like the situation in Victoria, then we’ve shown the flexibility and I think the common sense to make exceptions and arrangements in those cases. But in other cases where we’re moving ahead and in Western Australia, for example, the premier will tell you, I’m sure proudly, that Western Australia, which is looking at even having a budget less this year, the idea of maintaining many of those sorts of support in that environment, I think would be counter-intuitive. It is important we keep moving on and not stay stuck in the same gear when it comes to economic recovery.

Updated

Q: A theme through a number of your recent announcements has been deregulation and the need to free up things from controls. I’m wondering whether you are really confident that this, in the end, won’t be counter-productive in some cases. I’m thinking particularly of your announcement on credit the other day, which – it does seem – could lead to some people in the end being worse off, undertaking obligations that they really can’t afford.

Josh Frydenberg:

We had no less authority than the governor of the Reserve Bank talk about how the responsible lending laws had led to a risk aversion when it came to lending and ...

Q: I’m talking about the banks, though, not the consumers.

Frydenberg:

This is all about the consumer.

This is all about increasing access to credit for the consumer, be it for a credit card, be it for a loan and I knows that industries such as the motor vehicle industry, the housing industry and others have strongly welcomed this proposal from the government.

We already have Apra as the prudential regulator with a lending standard as it applies to the banks. And it requires the banks to identify the income of the customer and their ability to pay.

What has happened over the last decade is that these regulations, which started aspirin-based, have become overall prescriptive, costly and complex.

It’s leading to delays in loans being made available. It’s leading to loans not being available as they otherwise should, as the risk aversion on the part of the banks cuts in. So what we’re seeing 20 do here is to boost Australia’s economic recovery by reducing unnecessary red tape, by encouraging and facilitating lending as appropriate but, of course, with the necessary consumer protections in place.

Updated

Q: Do you have confidence in the Victorian bureaucracy’s response to the pandemic?

Scott Morrison:

That’s really a question to the premier. I’m responsible for many things but I’m not responsible for the state government of Victoria. That’s a matter for the premier and he’s initiated an inquiry into this, given the seriousness of the matter and that report has not yet been brought down. I note that there’s been counsel assisting who have made comments but the final report will come down and I’m sure the premier will address that in due course.

Updated

Q: A question about what’s going on on the waterfront at the moment with the go-slow action in response to seeking a pay rise and some other conditions. The industrial relations minister yesterday floated the prospect of some sort of intervention. How serious is the federal government on that? And what would you be looking at?

Scott Morrison:

Well, I’m very serious. There are 40 ships – and I’m told there’s some 90,000 containers out there. That includes medical supplies.

I mean we cannot have the militant end of the union movement effectively engaging in a campaign of extortion against the Australian people in the middle of a Covid-19 recession. This is just extraordinary, appalling behaviour.

And they as much as admitted it on morning television this morning, with what they [made] are ambit claims. That is just straight-out extortion. That is reprehensible.

Now, as I made some remarks on Saturday when I was in Adelaide, I thanked the union movement, I thank the ACTU.

I thank Sally McManus for the way that she has brought the union movement to sit down as part of this, I think, good-faith process that the attorney is leading and I find what’s happening with the MUA in port bat any so at odds with the good-faith spirit. I would think that the union movement would want to distance itself from that behaviour as much as certainly the government does in condemning it.

This is certainly whether it’s ever a time for extortionate demands, I would never say there’s never such a time but certainly not when Australians are doing it so tough. I mean it is just absolutely galling.

Now, the specific measures the government may undertake, well, I’ll keep that to the counsel of the attorney at this point, but I want to assure Australians that we don’t take this lightly. It’s not on and we will take what steps are necessary to ensure that this can be brought, I think, to a more meaningful and swift conclusion.

Updated

Home quarantine under consideration for returned travellers

Q: Prime minister, in relation to the hotel inquiry going on in Melbourne, on March 27, you stood in this courtyard and announced that program. You gave the states a very short period of time to get it up and running. The consequences of that short period of time have been discussed during the hearings. That put a great deal of pressure on state public servants.

Do you take any responsibility for the consequences of those time pressures?

Should they have been allowed more time?

Do you accept the suggestion of counsel assisting the inquiry that while the offer of the ADF was made that it doesn’t necessarily need to have taken up and no findings should be made against the Victorian government as a result of that.

And given there are now concerns that some of those people may have been held unlawfully, shut national cabinet consider some sort of hybrid model where you basically have a triage system, check out whether people should be kept in hotel quarantine and let them go to their own homes?

Scott Morrison:

First of all, I remember the national cabinet meeting very well. It was actually the states and territories that were most urgent in moving forward and they made the recommendation to move so quickly to establish hotel quarantine and we supported that. That was a, quite a long yes discretion and the states were keen to move forward and get this in place so, that was a genuine decision then by national cabinet at the initiation of the states and territories to move as quickly as they did.

I welcomed the fact that they were so keen to move so quickly and get those quarantine arrangements in place.

In all other states and territories, I think the experience has been quite different to Victoria, and that is a great shame [for] Victoria. But, you know, that is what has occurred and that’s all plain for people to see.

In relation to the second question, well, the offer was made for the ADF to be available. It was taken up by most states, not by some, and that was a decision for the states and territories, so how best that to be done was a matter for those states and territories to determine and so I will leave it to the inquiry to make their own recommendations.

Thirdly, in relation to issues of home quarantine – which is largely I think what you’re referring to – if we recall back in February and March of this year, that’s how it was working and I’ve got to say particularly among the Chinese Australian community, where the risk of greatest, where people were returning from mainland China and even Wuhan at one point, that home quarantine was followed incredibly assiduously by our Chinese European community and that, as I’ve said on many occasions proved absolutely vital in Australia’s success in managing the impact of that first wave.

Now, I think home quarantine can play a role in the future and it’s something that is being considered by the AHPPC and particularly as we move beyond the phase we’re in now and we do look to see ... To have our borders open up at some point to safe locations weather it be New Zealand or parts of the Pacific or places like South Korea or Japan or countries that have had, I think, a much higher rate of success, then there are opportunities to look at those alternative methods, a triaging if you like. And many countries do this. Denmark operates on a traffic light system which goes along those sorts of lines.

In Greece, they have an algorithm which triages people based on where they’ve come from and where they’ve been and that quantifies the risk.

At the end of the day, the answer to your question is really how you’re going to manage risk and how you’re going to identify it and then apply the right solution to the risk that presents and I think as time goes on, we will need a more flexible approach that gives us more options for managing this, so I think that is something that is under active consideration and when it comes in, that will obviously be determined principally by the health advice that can provide a green light to those sorts of options once again but I’m hopeful it’s something we can move to.

Updated

OK. So not a lot of announcements there but the budget is just a week away.

We move on to questions.

Updated

Josh Frydenberg details some of the other changes – consumer data:

The other initiative worth mentioning is around the consumer data right. Prime minister, when you were treasurer, you were promoting and pursuing the electronic exchange of consumer information in a secure and trusted way in order for consumers to get more choice and to get a cheaper product.

And we have already implemented the consumer data right through open banking, as it applies to credit cards today, but we’re also extending it to mortgages and personal loans by the end of this year.

What this means is if you have a $250,000 mortgage on your home and you’re a trusted customer of a bank, longstanding customer, you may be paying $1,000 too much for the variable interest on your loan compared to the best market offer that is otherwise available and we’re extending the consumer data right also to the energy sector and why this is important – because, again, if you are on an established paying system in one state, you may be paying $400 more for a medium set of energy supplies than you otherwise would get if you got the best median market offer, if you got the best market offer available.

Finally, we should all see digital transformation as an opportunity, not as a threat.

We want existing Australian businesses to transform by using the digital opportunities available to them. We want new businesses in Australia to be born digital and, in doing so, we will help Australian consumers and Australian businesses alike.

Updated

Some of those changes? E-invoices.

Josh Frydenberg:

A distribution electronically of documents will now be much easier to undertake for businesses. We’re enabling the execution of documents to now be undertaken digitally and we are also enabling AGMs to be held virtually.

For example, last year, Telstra printed and posted 650,000 notice of meetings at a cost of around $1m. No longer will that be required. We’re also moving to e-invoicing by commonwealth agencies.

This is when the supplier and also the buyers’ systems are automatically connected and it reduces the cost of an invoice by around two-thirds. And this is really good for small business who is will be able to be paid a lot quicker.

So if you are a fruit and veg supplier to an army barrack, if you are an IT consultant to a government department, by moving to e-invoicing, we will be able to ensure that you get paid a lot faster.

Ninety per cent of small businesses today still used paper-based invoices and, if you take the commonwealth together with the states, governments are responsible for around 10% of all business invoices and this was an issue that I raised with the state treasurers as recently as last week and it is hoped that the commonwealth, by taking the lead to e-invoicing with lead to states – and I know New South Wales already has measures under way – other states following the commonwealth’s lead in this respect.

Updated

We are on to Josh Frydenberg:

As we all know, Covid-19 has changed the world. Covid-19 has changed Australia and Covid-19 has changed the way businesses do business. Nine out of every 10 Australian businesses have used technology to adapt. Indeed, it has been said that we have made five years’ worth of gains in advancing the use of technology in this country and around the world in just a matter of eight weeks.

Zoom meetings have replaced air travel, Telehealth consultations have replaced GP visits and e-commerce – which was already gaining a pace – has moved to the next level.

Now, the Morrison government made a number of temporary changes to our regulation through Covid to ensure that businesses could continue to do business and people could continue to stay in jobs despite the virus. Today we’re making an announcement that a number of those changes have become permanent, as well as going further in other areas.

Updated

The theme for the budget?

Scott Morrison:

It’s all about three things – it’s about cushioning the blow, it’s about recovering what was lost, and it’s about building for the future.

Updated

Here’s the main takeaway so far.

Scott Morrison:

We are recovering what has been lost although there is still much ground to take. Some 760,000 jobs that were either lost or reduced to zero hours have already come back into our economy and that is great tribute to the resilience of our economy and the Australians who make it work every day.

And we are building for the future through the jobmaker plan that I began outlining many months ago – affordable and reliable energy, particularly for heavy industries and households. Lower emissions into the future.

Skills development through the jobtrainer program and the supporting of apprentices in this country $1.5bn alone from the commonwealth, also backed up by the support of the states in the $1bn jobtrainer fund.

Fixing problems in our industrial relations system so we can employ more people. That’s what it’s about. Us coming together with employers to find ways that they can work together better to employ more Australians and we grow into a recovery.

Record investments in infrastructure through our three grids – a transport grid, a water grid and an energy grid – making it easier to do business, cutting red tape, streamlining approvals and the reforms to the EPBC Act that we flagged.

We need to go further than that and in the budget we will, particularly in the area of making it easier for people and businesses to do business in this country and that means supporting businesses to thrive in the digital world. And making it easier and safer to deal with government when it comes to the digital economy.

Updated

Scott Morrison press conference

I’ll come back to anything we have missed with Daniel Andrews in a moment – first, Scott Morrison is holding a press conference with Josh Frydenberg to discuss the “most important budget in a generation”.

Updated

Q: The six more deaths in aged care, when did they get infected?

Daniel Andrews:

I don’t have that data.

Q: Do you know if they died from the virus or with the virus?

Andrews:

I’m not the coroner. I’ve not sought to make that judgment at any point.

Q: Why are people in aged care still getting infected?

Andrews: Because this is a wildly infectious virus, and people in aged care are ... Whilst it’s aged care is their home, aged care is not where the staff live. The staff live in the local community and we have community transmission and therefore the virus can spread.

Q:

So it’s still from the staff?

Andrews:

Well, it can be from many different sources but it stands to reason if somebody has not left a particular facility, but there are different people moving in and out of that facility and there’s no alternative, other than to provide no care or have a situation where staff live in – which is many tens of thousands of people. I’m not sure where we would put them.

Q: So it’s staff that are still causing the transmission in aged care right now?

Andrews:

I wouldn’t make a statement like that right now. I’m saying logic tells you if you’ve got people in the community and you’ve got people, by necessity, moving from the community into these settings, that is a risk. The other issue too here is that not all of those who are connected – and that’s the reporting we do every day – those deaths are linked to an aged care outbreak. Whether that person has passed away as a resident in an aged care facility as opposed to a hospital, I haven’t got that detail.

Updated

Q: What’s the health advice now behind letting cricket nets be used but not tennis courts, without club rooms being open?

Daniel Andrews:

I’ll have to get the public health team to come back to you. They’ve made a judgment. It’s ... I think it will be a feature of some nets in the park. There’s an issue about shared equipment. There’ll be things of that nature. Again, rather than me speculating on what that might be – with the greatest of respect to cricketers out there, I’ve not spent a lot of time interrogating the public health team on that particular issue but I’m more than happy for them to come to you with any more detail.

Dog owners in in Princes Park, Carlton North, on Monday
Dog owners in in Princes Park, Carlton North, on Monday. Photograph: Dave Hewison/Speed Media/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated

Q: OK. Why is it appropriate that Ms Mikakos resigned but it’s not appropriate for you to resign? In your view, that would be you running away from challenges.

Daniel Andrews:

You would need to ask her. She resigned.

Q: I’m asking you.

Andrews:

Well, again, you asked – you have asked me a question. What I’m indicating to you is she resigned. She made a judgment she could not sit in the cabinet. When a minister makes that judgment, then you have only got one ...

Q: You said it was appropriate she resign ...

Andrews:

She issued a statement. That statement makes it very clear that she could no longer sit in the cabinet. Any minister that comes to that conclusion has no choice but to resign. That’s the appropriate thing to do. That’s exactly what I have said. Beyond that, if you want any more specificity about her reasons, then you would need to speak to her …

I’m not in a position to elaborate on that. I appeared at the inquiry. I have not made a supplementary submission to the inquiry. If you want to speak to her about those matters, then I’d invite you to to that.

Q: Are you implying that Ms Mikakos is someone who runs from challenges?

Andrews:

No. Not at all. I was asked a question. I have answered the question. I’ve answered it, I think to be fair in similar terms I have answered before, which I believe predates the decision of the minister.

Updated

Q: Do you expect ministers to take responsibility for what goes on in their departments?

Daniel Andrews: Yes.

Q: What about yourself? Are you prepared to resign?

Andrews:

I indicated the other day I don’t run from challenges. I don’t run from problems. I’m not someone who quits to avoid doing the hard work that needs to be done ... you have asked me ... I would have thought a rather serious question. If I might be allowed to answer the question? I will then answer your next one.

I don’t run from problems. I have a big job to do. I’m dedicated to getting it done. That’s not just getting the numbers down but also delivering the most significant package of economic reform, investment and recovery that this state has ever seen. I can barely describe to you how committed I am to that task. And that, I think, is an expansive way of saying to you – no.

Updated

Q: When Judge Coate or the inquiry asked for an extra nearly $3m, you said yesterday the funding [had been granted] – did they say why? [And what it was for?]

Daniel Andrews:

I’m not certain. It’s not a matter ... It is not a matter of me sitting down and trying to assess and second guess them. They have sought extra funding. I have faith that they have a genuine need for that additional funding. And there is an appropriate formality to this. It isn’t like a normal budget process where an agency might ask for money and you had would like carefully. Indeed, we look line by line to make sure whether has is a fair thing. This is a slightly different process. I think it is appropriate when extra funding is sought to complete the task that’s been given to the board, that that additional funding has been quite – has been approved. If you want further information about where that money’s – the sorts of things that money will do and help support then I direct you to the board.

Updated

Q: Why should Victorians have any confidence when the inquiry heard on multiple occasions these secretaries didn’t brief their ministers on key elements of hotel quarantine program that led to 768 deaths?

Daniel Andrews:

I’m not here to speculate. What I’m telling you I’m confident that they are doing the very best they can and they are acting appropriately. That is what everyone is doing. This strategy would hardly be working as it most certainly is, if that were not the case. They’re briefing their many ministers right now? Yes, I believe they are. What I can also indicate to you is that if that were not the case, the broader reflection you’re making on those public servants or others, I would not be standing here reporting 326 active cases. Nor would I be reporting 10 new cases when six weeks ago we had 725.

The prime minister will be holding a press conference at 11.15am.

Updated

Does Daniel Andrews still have confidence in the public service to continue to lead the response, given what the counsel assisting the inquiry had to say yesterday in its conclusions?

Andrews:

Yes, I am. Yes, I am. I will wait – as we all must – whether we like that or not. We must all wait and see what the findings of the report are. The recommendations that may or may not be made. The commentary, the contents of that report will be very important. That’s why we have set up this process. I would make to point to you as well that the submission process is not over. Counsel assisting have made their important submissions to Madam Chair, but others have an opportunity – not orally but in writing – to make further submissions. I think that expires next week. So, that whole submission process, very important, but it is far from complete. Nor is the burden of inquiry complete, given the report that former Judge Coate has been commissioned to write, she has not yet written.

Updated

Q: Are you prepared to overhaul the public service?

Daniel Andrews:

I don’t want to cut across what may or may not be in the report. But we stand ready to implement whatever changes that – obviously we believe are necessary and, indeed, any changes that the board may well recommend to us. It’s somewhat challenging to speak to those recommendations, given they haven’t been made yet and the scope and the kind of terms of any of those recommendations. That really is a matter for Judge Coate.

There will be no hesitation in taking the action that is required. I will take the action that is required to make sure that we do everything we possibly can to avoid anything like this ever happening again. That’s important. It is a contract call part of my job.

Updated

Q: Will you look through roles within your government, such as that of Kym Peake? [Peake is the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.]

Daniel Andrews:

The most important thing is to wait until we get the report. I’m not sure what it will find. None of us can be certain what former Judge Coate will call for. We will look at that. We will take the action necessary very quick thereafter to make sure that these sorts of mistakes can never happen again.

The exact nature of those mistakes, the nature of recommendations, what action is needed in the view of the board of inquiry, I can’t predict what that is now. We simply have to wait for the report. I know it is frustrating. It is some weeks away. When you have got nearly 300,000 pages of documents, many, many witnesses, many different issues, it’s appropriate and not only appropriate, but it is respectful of Judge Coate and respectful of the process to allow that to run its logical course.

Updated

The press conference is thrown open to questions:

Q: The hotel inquiry said the Victorian government failed. Your response?

Daniel Andrews:

I will await the report of the inquiry. Submissions were led by counsel assisting yesterday. It is an important part of the process. But it is equally important – arguably more important part – is to wait until early November when Judge Coate will deliver her report. That will have findings, recommendations. What’s in that report and what she calls for or believes to be appropriate is entirely a matter for her.

Updated

And then, an update on contact tracing.

Daniel Andrews:

I can confirm for you that as at 28 September, no cases are awaiting that first contact.

The proportion of outstanding cases needing notifications – there are none.

Everyone has been contacted within that 24-hour period. The proportion of outstanding cases that require interview, no new case, no cases are awaiting interview: 100% have been interviewed.

Indeed, I can further report that just under 80% of those interviews are conducted within four hours. So, not 24 hours. Within four hours.

And, finally, the last of those three metrics – which is to have contacted close contacts within 48 hours, no close contacts are awaiting notification.

So, that is a very significant performance and that speaks pretty much to the trend over quite a few weeks now.

We’ve seen obviously when you’re not overwhelmed by literally thousands of cases then this contact tracing team, like any contact tracing team across the world, are in a position to respond even more quickly and that’s exactly what they’re doing.

That should give every Victorian significant confidence that because of investment, because of improvements, because of just the position we find ourselves in, and the nature of the challenge, that continuous improvement will serve us well as we continue to open up.

Daniel Andrews fronts the media
Daniel Andrews fronts the media. Photograph: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Updated

Daniel Andrews continues:

The next one on my list is cricket nets. Cricket nets can be used in public spaces, so long as they do not require facilities beyond that. Other restrictions apply including the two-hour time limit and the 5km travel limit.

Dog groomers – in relation to animal welfare issues, which have been raised with us consistently, in metro Melbourne that is only in retail stores. Not from home. It can occur from home in regional Victoria.

Painters – emergency repair, emergency repairs can take place at occupied properties. That means no interior design, no renos if the property is occupied.

Gardening and landscaping services by sole traders are allowed, as long as it’s contactless and can be done safely alone and it can also occur on an occupied property, given the nature of that work. It is, indeed, outside.

Updated

We then get some clarifications on the easing of restrictions and what that means for some situations.

Daniel Andrews:

Firstly, learner drivers – you can practise driving if you are out for one of the for reasons – for example, driving to the supermarket – you cannot go out solely for the purposes of driving practice.

Weddings – there is no 5km limit. You cannot travel to regional Victoria for a wedding unless you are the celebrant and you are working.

Apartment complex swimming pools – all pools, indoor or outdoor at residential premises, including apartment complexes, are closed.

Only outdoor pools at non-residential premises are open in the second step.

Travel for childcare – yes, you can travel across the metro border for childcare. But the restrictions follow you so you are subject to step-two restrictions when in regional Victoria. You should not travel unless you really need to.

It is about trying to make sure again we have got as little movement as possible from Melbourne into regional Victoria, because any movement of that nature potentially takes the virus from Melbourne into regional Victoria.

I know regional communities have been a very highly motivated to make sure that we limit that movement.

That’s why Victoria police really have stepped up their efforts at those checkpoints and, of course, it’s now a couple of weeks old now that we’ve had a much more significant fine, an almost $5,000 on-the-spot fine if you are found in regional Victoria and you do not have a lawful reason to be there.

Updated

Daniel Andrews then moves on to today’s numbers:

This strategy is working. The strategy is delivering us the lower numbers and I think an increased sense of confidence that we are going to be able to continue to take those safe and steady steps.

There are 10 new cases. Three are linked to known outbreaks and complex cases. Seven are under investigation. One was reclassified.

There have now been – I’m sad to report – 794 deaths due to this global pandemic. Seven since my last report.

One male in their 60s, one male in their 70s, one female and two males if their 80s, one female and one male in their 90s. Six of those seven deaths are linked to aged care.

We send our condolences and best wishes, our deepest sympathies, to each of those seven families.

There are 46 Victorians in hospital, five of those are receiving intensive care. Four of those five are on a ventilator. The total of 2,677,022 test results have been received, which is an increase of 8,226 since yesterday.

That is a solid number.

But, of course, we again take this opportunity just to urge any Victorian, any symptoms – whatsoever – don’t wait till tomorrow.

Don’t wait till this afternoon. Please go and get tested as soon as you can. It’s only then that we get the most complete picture so that we can take those steps with the certainty that needs to sit behind them.

And, of course, we thank those 8,226 Victorians who got tested a bit over 24 hours ago. It is a really important part of our response.

Updated

Daniel Andrews press conference

The Victorian premier has paid tribute to police who have lost their lives in the line of duty, including Lynette Taylor, Kevin King, Glen Humphris and Joshua Prestney, who were killed while impounding a Porsche in April:

As the premier of the state, can I say to you that my thoughts and prayers will be with their families today and with every police member and every police family on what will be a very challenging Police Remembrance Day. To live your life in the service and protection of others is an amazing thing. To lose your life doing that work is a terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers and best wishes are with every police member and every police family today.

Updated

Head of Covid commission still being paid director's fees by gas company

The head of Australia’s Covid-19 commission, Nev Power, is still being paid director’s fees by the gas company Strike Energy, the government has confirmed.

The National Covid-19 Commission, which was set up to guide Australia’s economic recovery, has pushed for additional government support of the gas sector.

In May it was reported that Power, a former Fortescue Metals chief, had stepped back from his role as deputy chairman at Strike Energy to avoid any perceived conflict in his role as NCC chair.

In June Power was questioned by the Covid-19 Senate inquiry about whether he was still receiving director’s fees from Strike Energy. He said at the time that he wasn’t sure but probably was.

A response to a question on notice published last week confirmed that Power is, in fact, still receiving the fees.

The confirmation has prompted criticism from the environmental activist group 350.org.

Its chief executive, Lucy Manne, said this further highlighted the problems surrounding the lack of accountability and transparency within the NCC.

“Mr Power is still receiving remuneration from Strike Energy, a gas company with interests in the Perth and Cooper basins – two of the basins that Scott Morrison named as priority basins he hopes to unlock,” Manne said. “This doesn’t pass the pub test.”

An NCC spokesman referred Guardian Australia to previous comments made by Power during the June inquiry hearings, when he said he had taken the role at the request of the prime minister to help through the crisis.

“When I took the role on, it was not intended that I step back from any of my other interests,” Power said at the time.

“This was to be purely an advisory role; we are not decision makers and therefore there was no requirement for me to curtail any of my business activities. I don’t believe there are any areas where I have breached any public interest or conflict-of-interest rules, but there have been perceptions of it raised, so, as a result of that, I elected to stand down from those two boards – I still retain my role on the two not-for-profit boards – and to step back from my private business affairs on anything that could be perceived as a conflict.”

Power has also not attended a board meeting of Strike Energy since joining the NCC.

Board meeting minutes from May also note that Power had advised Strike Energy it was not appropriate for him to “vote on any operational or strategic matters at Strike Energy which could give rise to perceptions of a conflict of interest”.

Nev Power
Head of the Covid-19 commission Nev Power. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Updated

Yesterday, the social services minister Anne Ruston refused to guarantee that the unemployment benefit, now known as jobseeker, wouldn’t return to the old rate of $40 a day, when the Covid supplement expired completely on 31 December.

Ruston told the ABC:

We are very focused on the here and now. We remain focused on the here and now because I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know when this pandemic and the impacts of this pandemic on the job market are going to stabilise. I don’t know what Australia’s economy is going to look like post the end of this year. That’s why remain focused on dealing with the here and now. It is a matter for another day when we have some idea what the post-Covid world in Australia will look like.

Linda Burney said that wasn’t good enough:

With 400,000 Australians expected to lose their jobs by the end of the year – and with 13 jobseekers for every job vacancy – it is going to be a very uncertain and anxious Christmas.

Australians doing it tough don’t know what support will be available to them after Christmas, when they face yet another cut.

The minister could end this uncertainty by delivering a permanent increase to jobseeker in the budget.

Updated

It’s 10.30am for Daniel Andrews today.

Updated

The ABS has put out the latest on Australia’s international trade.

You can find that here.

But the headline statistics are:

  • The balance on goods and services surplus fell $3,542m to $4,607m.
  • Goods and services credits fell $1,604m (4%) to $34,496m.
  • Goods and services debits rose $1,939m (7%) to $29,890m.


Updated

Greg Hunt says maritime industrial dispute 'clear risk' to Australia's medical supplies

Greg Hunt was on the Nine Network this morning, where he was laying out the government’s case to stop the Patrick Terminal’s planned strike action.

Q: First up, this port dispute threatening the nation’s medical supplies, the unions say it’s not a concern. Is it a worry for you?

Hunt:

Yes, it is. We’ve been working with the medical companies and they’ve reported that it is a clear risk to the supply of important medicines in Australia.

I need to say, it’s not an immediate risk, but if this goes on for any period of time then we will see potential shortages and that’s been provided to us by a range of different medical companies.

Q: It’s tough to see how this is resolved any time soon.

Hunt:

Well, I think the- those that are doing the go-slow need to realise that whether it’s our farmers and the export of their extraordinarily valuable crops after drought, after difficult times, it’s just so fundamental to the health of their communities and the health of their communities and the economic health of Australia and then on the incoming side, medicines which are vital for the health of Australians are being delayed.

There’s no question about that. That’s not at issue. And that could pose very shortly a real risk to Australians.

So at the moment, the supplies are already here, but the new supplies that we need are sitting in ships offshore.

Q: The Maritime Union absolutely vehemently denies that, they say they haven’t prevented a single tablet from getting through to the ports.

Are they wrong? Or are you?

Hunt:

They’re wrong. No, they’re wrong. We’ve had the medical companies state clearly publicly, absolutely, that that’s the case.

We’ve had a meeting of what’s called the Medicines Shortage of Working Group with the Therapy Goods Administration and there are delays.

There are risks and there are consequences and I would respectfully say to those in the union that are denying that there are risks to medicines, the advice they have is false, incorrect and untrue.

Health minister Greg Hunt.
Health minister Greg Hunt. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Labor’s shadow minister for ageing and seniors Julie Collins has responded to the latest reports about the aged care regulator:

Damning new figures have revealed more than 2,000 complaints in just three months led to no fines or warnings from the Morrison government’s aged care regulator.

These shocking figures lay bare the complete failure of the Morrison government’s regulator to ensure Australia’s aged care homes were safe from Covid-19.

It is difficult to believe so little was done to follow-up the concerns of residents, families and loved ones in the middle of a deadly global pandemic.

Despite the terrible stories from overseas, which exposed how vulnerable aged care homes were to Covid-19 outbreaks, the Morrison government’s regulator failed to act.

How did anyone think it was acceptable that more than 2,000 complaints in just three months led to no action against aged care homes?

This must prompt real action from the Morrison government to fix the aged care regulator.

Labor’s shadow minister for ageing and seniors Julie Collins.
Labor’s shadow minister for ageing and seniors Julie Collins. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Coronavirus ship quandary for Western Australia as cases rise

Western Australian authorities are pondering what to do with the Patricia Oldendorff cases.

The ship is just off WA’s north coast and so far 17 crew members have tested positive for Covid. A dozen of those people are in quarantine in Port Hedland. Essential crew have stayed on board, but at least seven of the nine people on board have tested positive.

Roger Cook had a chat to ABC News Breakfast about it this morning:

It’s a very tricky situation.

... My main anxieties are really around the crew that are still on board the ship.”

Under maritime law, at least 13 people have to be aboard the ship when it leaves for international waters. There also needs to be a cook and clean crew aboard while people are still in quarantine, to help with the maintenance.

WA authorities are looking at how they can deep clean the ship while people are still aboard, given the presence of Covid.

The ship, carrying 20 Filipino nationals and the captain, has been anchored nine nautical miles off WA’s north-west coast since 16 September.

WA’s Department of Health has said all crew members are in good spirits and have been able to contact their families.

Security personnel have been flown in to help local police oversee the hotel quarantine and locals have been assured there is no risk to the community.

Bulk carriers in Port Hedland, Western Australia.
Bulk carriers in Port Hedland, Western Australia. Photograph: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Updated

It is National Police Remembrance Day.

Updated

The NT News reports that Sydney could be removed from the territory’s hotspot list next week.

Queensland will review its hotspot list at the end of the month, although so far as indicated Sydney residents will remain barred from entry (northern NSW residents will be allowed in from 1am on 1 October).

Updated

The rolling 14-day average for metro Melbourne is now 18.2.

For regional Victoria, it is 0.6.

In total, there have been 264 cases of Covid diagnosed in Victoria in the last 14 days, for an average of 18.9 cases per day.

Mystery cases are down to 27 in the last 14 days.

Updated

Victoria records 10 new cases and seven deaths

Double yesterday’s number of five, but testing numbers should be up.

Seven deaths is another tragedy.

Updated

There will be more attention on the aged care regulator today – and the minister – with people once again looking at the number of compliance checks the regulator has made, during the pandemic.

As Labor’s Julie Collins stated late last week, the regulator had visited just one in six aged care homes to check whether infection control practices were being implemented in the wake of Victoria’s outbreak.

The latest publicly available figures reveal just 448 aged care homes nationally have been visited by the Morrison government’s aged care regulator to check compliance with PPE and infection control arrangements,” Collins said last week.

In some states less than 5% of aged care homes have been visited to check infection practises and ensure safe use of personal protection equipment was being observed.

Even in Victoria just 160 visits, representing only 20% of aged care homes in the state, have taken place.

627 people diagnosed with Covid, linked to aged care, have died in Victoria.

Updated

Helen Sullivan has all your international Covid news.

Updated

Symptomatic Australians still going out as Covid testing rates dive

Monash University has surveyed Australians about their Covid testing habits – and well, it might help explain why testing numbers are down.

As AAP reports:

Only a quarter of Australians with cold or flu-like symptoms are getting tested for coronavirus, according to a Monash University survey.

More than a third spent time in public while unwell.

The latest results of the Survey of Covid-19 Responses to Understand Behaviour, released on Tuesday, found 27% of people with symptoms were tested for the virus.

The result is up from 15% in a previous survey.

A fifth of those with Covid-19 symptoms said they didn’t go for testing because they did not think they had the virus.

More than a third spent time in public while symptomatic and one in five went to work.

But 81% of those surveyed said they always follow Covid-19 rules and regulations.

Compliance with handwashing, wearing face masks and keeping a physical distance from people outside of home, either stayed the same or increased on the previous survey.

A bottle of hand sanitiser gel.
A bottle of hand sanitiser gel. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Updated

Thrive by Five, an initiative of the Minderoo Foundation which aims to improve early learning outcomes for children, has released its budget wish list:

• Ensuring all families receive assistance of at least 30% of childcare costs, with the long-term goal of universal access to high quality early learning for all Australian children
• Increase the childcare subsidy for families and carers whose incomes have been reduced due to Covid-19
• Expand the jobtrainer program to provide free or low-cost Tafe and VET courses in early childhood education and care, and
• Calling on the prime minister to urgently convene a national roundtable on the early childhood education and care workforce, including a discussion of the immediate ways to support educator jobs and long-term workforce planning.

Updated

Australians neglecting heart health during pandemic

The Heart Foundation is once again pleading with people to go have their regular heart health checks, as AAP reports:

Around half a million Australians with heart disease have skipped critical check-ups during the Covid-19 pandemic, putting them at risk of a heart attack or stroke.

While heart disease remains the nation’s single biggest killer, it’s fallen off the radar for many Australians, the Heart Foundation says.

Its survey of more than 5,000 Australian adults, released on World Heart Day on Tuesday, found people with heart disease, or at high risk of heart disease, were more likely to have missed or delayed an appointment with their GP between April and August than other Australians (27% versus 17%).

With 2.1 million Australians living with heart disease or at high risk of heart disease, the Heart Foundation has calculated more than 500,000 of them have skipped potentially life-saving check-ups during the pandemic.

About one-in-five people at highest risk said they were unlikely to attend future appointments with their GP because of concerns about Covid-19.

People with heart disease are more vulnerable to severe complications if infected with Covid-19.

Heart Foundation general manager of heart health, Bill Stavreski, urged Australians not to let the Covid-19 “fear factor” stop them from getting check-ups.

“Heart disease doesn’t stop during a pandemic,” Stavreski said.

“It is vital that you continue to monitor your heart health and stay in contact with your GP, and there are options to do this safely via telehealth or in person.”

Restrictions were lifted in most states and territories in August but about 30% of people surveyed with heart disease were still avoiding GP appointments.

There had also been a drop-off in people speaking to doctors about risk factors compared with pre-Covid-19 levels.

The biggest dip was in people discussing their blood pressure or cholesterol with their GP, despite 6.2 million Australians having high blood pressure and 7.1 having high cholesterol.

Australians are being urged not to let the Covid-19 ‘fear factor’ stop them from getting heart health check-ups.
Australians are being urged not to let the Covid-19 ‘fear factor’ stop them from getting heart health check-ups. Photograph: Aleksandr Davydov/Alamy Stock Photo

Updated

Labor’s Tim Watts has seen the government’s latest budget announcement.

This comes after Anne Ruston re-announced domestic violence funding yesterday.

Updated

Victorian MP David Davis wants an inquiry into the government’s omnibus emergency measures bill.

From his statement:

These new authorised officers will have wide and largely unchecked powers of arrest and detention under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act.

Respected lawyers and former judges have expressed concern about the bill’s untrammelled powers.

The Bar Council has expressed concerns about the omnibus bill.

I have written to the chair of the scrutiny of acts and regulations committee demanding the committee hold public hearings and a full inquiry in the two weeks that remain before the bill is dealt with in the upper house.

Labor forced it through the lower house without the views of Sarc or indeed any proper examination of the bill’s serious infringements of rights and privileges.

Updated

Apparently “ostensibly to empty his Vatican apartment” is an approved reason to leave the country during the border ban.

Updated

Speaking of budget announcements, the government wants your face.

As Daniel Hurst reports:

The Morrison government will expand the use of digital identity checks when businesses and individuals access services online, as part of an $800m package in next week’s budget to increase the take-up of new technologies.

As the government puts the finishing touches on its delayed budget, which is expected to foreshadow a deficit north of $200bn and ongoing high unemployment, the Coalition is rolling out a series of announcements that it says are designed to get the economy moving again.

But the government is coming under pressure for reducing the rate of jobkeeper and jobseeker payments over the past few days, with Labor accusing Scott Morrison of “mishandling this worst recession in almost a century” by cutting economic support “without a proper jobs plan to replace it”.

The biggest chunk of new funding in the “digital business plan” to be announced on Tuesday is $420m towards ensuring businesses can “quickly view, update and maintain their business registry data in one location”.

I mean, what on earth could go wrong? It isn’t like the government has access to mass surveillance systems and has put a bunch of bills through the parliament to be able to bypass the courts to access your data already. I’m sure it’s fine.

Good morning

Western Australia recorded more new cases of Covid than Victoria yesterday, as it took in crew members from a bulk carrier ship anchored off its north coast, who have been stricken with the virus.

There are now 17 members of the Patricia Oldendorff who have been diagnosed with Covid, with the crew now quarantined in Port Hedland.

It’s the first time in yonks (official scientific time measurement) WA has dealt with Covid, which is why there are a lot of interested eyes on the west at the moment.

Meanwhile, NSW has seen it’s case numbers drop, reporting no cases for two consecutive days. But testing rates have also dropped, which has authorities worried. The clock is still ticking on the incubation period for possible infections from a taxi driver who (unknowingly) worked while infectious himself with Covid. So if you are in NSW and you have a sniffle or any other symptom: get tested.

In Victoria, Daniel Andrews will hold his 89th consecutive press conference, where the topic will no doubt be this:

And in Queensland, the election campaign continues.

The federal government meanwhile, is all about the federal budget. Yesterday had the re-announcement of domestic violence funding. Who knows what today could bring.

We’ll bring you all of it though, as it happens. You have Amy Remeikis with you for most of the day. As always you can reach me here and here and can drop me a line with any questions, complaints, commiserations etc.

Ready?

Let’s get into it.

Updated

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